Thailand Live Monday 7 May 2012

[webfact]

Thailand Live Monday 7 May 2012

News, Bits and Tweets

with webfact

Keep up to date with live updates from the news, hour by hour.

For breaking news, national, regional and international news updates on a daily basis only, this thread is closed to commentary so that those who wish to follow the news can find it here...

Commentary is still open for Thailand news in the relevant thread posted in News Clippings.

FOLLOW US:

You can also follow us on

- Twitter: http://twitter.com/georgebkk

- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ThaiVisaNews

- Google+: http://plus.google.com/116866638430460700577/

- Breaking News via SMS text messages to your mobile phone or handheld device

To subscribe dial *424010011 on AIS, One-2-Call, DTAC or True Move networks

14 days complementary subscription for Thaivisa members.

If you have questions about the Breaking News SMS service,

email: sms [at] thaivisa.com

________________________________________________________________________________

Thailand's current weather and forecasts: http://weather.thaivisa.com/

________________________________________________________________________________

Related topic: Thailand Live Saturday 5 May 2012

[webfact]

THAIVISA CONNECT

Thaivisa Forum Apps for your mobile or tablet

"Thaivisa Connect" for iPhone, iPad and iPod:

iTunes App Store:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/thaivisa-connect-thailand/id492600537

"Thaivisa Connect" for Android:

Android Market

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.quoord.tapatalkthaivisa.activity

OR

For QR code just go here with your desktop or mobile:

http://apps.thaivisa.com

[webfact]

UK experts praise Thai authorities' flood response; urge more co-ordination in future

Salter

BANGKOK: -- United Kingdom health experts have cautiously commended Thai authorities' responses to last year's flood crisis, but called for improvements in interagency cooperation and in planning in the future.

Full story:

[webfact]

Meeting with Prem 'only for show': Interview with Chamlong

Chamlong

BANGKOK: -- People's Alliance for Democracy co-leader Chamlong Srimuang was a secretary to Gen Prem Tinsulanond when Prem was prime minister. After Yingluck Shinawatra's recent visit to Privy Council President Prem, Nation News's Attaphom Ongkulna spoke to Chamlong.

Full story:

[webfact]

Return of the 111 Thai Rak Thai executives won't cause upset: poll

BANGKOK: -- Public sentiment is that the political landscape will remain unchanged despite the expiry of the political ban on 111 Thai Rak Thai executives, according to the results of a survey by Suan Dusit Poll released yesterday.

Full story:

[webfact]

Children 'must learn life skills, good school marks aren't everything'

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Many parents believe that academic knowledge will lead their children to success - particularly those with academically strong, talented or gifted kids - and allow them to study for most of their time, with few other responsibilities.

Full story:

[webfact]

Cabinet members conduct price check

BANGKOK: -- Cabinet members yesterday inspected wet markets as per the instruction of the prime minister in order to see for themselves about rising prices in Bangkok and surrounding areas.

Full story:

[webfact]

Hazard alert after fatal Map Ta Phut blaze

Officials from the Pollution Control Department conduct airquality tests in Rayong after a major explosion and fire at the Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate on Saturday.//BY Suphakit Khumkun

RAYONG: -- Toll of 11 dead, 129 injured after Bangkok Synthetics factory fire in Map Ta Phut; industry minister says air quality in Rayong normal, but health officials suspect toluene leak played role in deaths.

Full story:

[webfact]

Factory should ' lose licence'

BANGKOK: -- The government should revoke the licence of Bangkok Synthetics, whose factory was the scene of an explosion and major fire on Saturday that killed 11 and injured another 129 people, a major non-government group said yesterday.

Full story:

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

Populist policy doubts eroding public confidence

Uncertainty over cost of schemes is factor in people's negative outlook

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra may say that rising living prices exist in the public's imagination but there may be sources of truth in complaints about prices of goods soaring.

Full story:

[webfact]

STREET WISE

Rocky or rosy path for Virabongsa?

The hottest issue in the financial market now can be nothing but the selection process of the Bank of Thailand's chairman.

BANGKOK: -- If The Nation's sources predict correctly, the government's nomination Virabongsa Ramangkura would eventually become the new chairman, succeeding Bank of Thaiand's choice MR Chatu Mongol Sonakul. Why wouldn't it be so, when from seven members of the selection committee, six represent the Finance Ministry.

Full story:

[webfact]

Drug suspect shot, cop hurt in sting operation

Montien Intaket

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A drug suspect was shot and seriously injured after he attempted to run his taxicab into a policeman to make an escape from a sting operation in the heart of Bangkok early yesterday.

Wanchai Wongjanruang, 32, received a gunshot wound in the nape of his neck. He received treatment at Bumrungrad Hospital under the social-security scheme, which now offers free medical treatment at all medical facilities in an emergency.

Pol Senior Sgt Major Kannapong Huasri, pulled the trigger after the taxicab knocked him down in front of the Grand President Hotel in Vadhana district. The policeman received minor injuries to his knees and hands.

Lumpini Station superintendent Colonel Rangsan Praditphon said they had received a tip off that Wanchai was not just a taxi driver but also a pusher of crystal meth-amphetamine.

"So, we arranged the sting operation," he said.

Pol Captain Monchai Penglert, a deputy inspector at the Lumpini Station, headed the sting, with four other policemen including Kannapong supporting it.

Police allege when Wanchai showed up to deliver the illicit drugs to the undercover policemen, he discovered it was a trap and tried to make an escape.

Moments after his cab hit Kannapong, he was shot - the bullet breaking the rear mirror of the pink cab and hitting Wanchai in the neck.

Police said later they planned to relocate the drug suspect to the Police General Hospital.

Police plan to charge Wanchai with having crystal meth-amphetamine in his possession with intention to sell. They claim 2grams of crystal meth were found in his cab alongside Bt6,000 in cash police gave him during the sting operation.

Rangsan said he planned to request promotion or a reward for Kannapong for his dedication to his job.

-- The Nation 2012-05-07

[webfact]

BMA says Skytrain contracts legal

Thanatpong Kongsai

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) says it has nothing to fear if the Pheu Thai Party makes good on its threat to file a complaint with the Central Administrative Court over Skytrain-management contracts, Deputy Bangkok Governor Thirachon Manomaipiboon said yesterday.

"The BMA has adhered to the laws," he said.

The Pheu Thai Party recently complained of irregularities in the BMA's decision to award the contracts to the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS).

"The BMA has signed contracts with Krungthep Thanakom, which is 99-per-cent owned by the BMA itself. The Council of State has interpreted that this firm is a state enterprise of the BMA," Thirachon said.

He said it was just that this firm had decided to recruit the services of BTS, which currently operates the capital's Skytrain system.

Although the value of the contracts was huge, he said no one should forget that the BTS invested in the construction of the infrastructure for 22 km of Skytrain services, and this infrastructure would become the property of the BMA at the end of its 30-year concession contract in 2029.

Thirachon expected the BMA to earn a huge amount of revenue from the Skytrain services later on.

-- The Nation 2012-05-07

[webfact]

Hollande Elected French President – Interior Min.

PARIS: -- Francois Hollande, an opposition leader of the French Socialist Party, was elected France’s new president with more than 80 percent of ballots counted.

Full story:

[webfact]

13 northern provinces warned of heavy rain, flash flood and runoffs from mountains today-tomorrow /TANN

[webfact]

Southern train service to resume at noon following disruption by cargo train derailment in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Saturday /TANN

Transport Ministry to propose Bt2-4 hike of MRT fare for Cabinet's approval tomorrow /TANN

119 people admitted to hospital for chemical leak at Map Ta Phut plant yesterday; plant has been shut down temporarily /TANN

[webfact]

Today is a public holiday in ThailandRT @USEmbassyBKK The Embassy will be closed on Mon, May 7, in honor of Coronation Day @kriestiekenney

[webfact]

Phuket underpass project unveiled

The same design of the Bang Khu Underpass (pictured) will be used in front of Central Festival Phuket. Photo: Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai

Yotin Klinbuakaew, from Koh Kaew Village 5, voiced is concern about the expansion of the road and how it will affect the people living in the area. Photo: Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai

PHUKET: -- Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosutthirak at Phuket''s Boat Lagoon Resort Tuesday, chaired the third and final public hearing on the Bang Khu intersection improvement project, at which it was announced that a two-lane underpass construction had been selected over other designs.

Full story:

[webfact]

Phuket sports: F1 rumors, rules and rumblings

DONUT: Button plays to the crowd in Hungary this week in his old car, the MP-4-26. Photo: AFP

PHUKET: -- The three week gap between grand prix events is to accommodate FIA approved testing of upgrades at Mugello, near Florence. It is also time the “rumor and disinformation mills” upgrade.

Full story:

[webfact]

Greater Phuket: Cyclists join Krabi Town 140-year celebrations

Kittipong Kongkaew tows his dad along a mangrove swamp in Krabi Town, where the pair were among 600 cyclists arrived from Greater Bangkok to take part on the town’s 140th anniversary celebrations yesterday. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- A cycling enthusiast impressed crowds at the 140th anniversary of Krabi Town over the weekend, managing to peddle all the way from Greater Bangkok with his disabled father riding in tow in a three-wheeler.

Full story:

[webfact]

1.5-2m sinkhole on 100m stretch of road bordering Rangsit Canal 4; road closed off to traffic /TANN

Pheu Thai Party fields Kasem Nimmolrat, associate of PM's sister Yaowapa, as candidate in Chiang Mai Constituency 3's by-election /TANN

[Lite Beer]

PM to help Pheu Thai MP candidate campaign in Chiang Mai on May 12; orders industry minister to monitor factories to prevent mishaps /TAN_Network

[Lite Beer]

Southern train services resume after derailment

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT, 7 May 2012 (NNT) - The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has confirmed that southbound rail services have resumed after a cargo train derailed in Nakhon Si Thammarat province on Saturday.

A freight train with 19 carriages travelling from Bangkok to Hat Yai district on Saturday derailed in Ron Phibun district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, paralyzing the southern train services.

Repair work had been carried out all day and night and the services were restored at 9AM this morning. Mr Pratueng Changsalak, SRT Commissioner and chairman of the sub-committee on risk management, and Mr Jen Boonsue, Chief Engineer at the SRT’s Civil Engineering Department, personally supervised the maintenance of railroad tracks throughout the process while inspecting further damages.

Mr Pratueng has thanked all SRT members who have contributed to the successful completion of the restoration work within the span of 20 hours. He added that the derailed train carriages will be salvaged within 5-7 days without any further disruption to the rail services.

-- NNT 2012-05-07

[Lite Beer]

Disaster Department assures enough water for drought season

BANGKOK, 7 May 2012 (NNT) – The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has confirmed that the water supply for use in drought stricken zones will be sufficient.

According to the DDPM, it has prepared over 39,000 cubic meters of water for locals in the drought zones. 51 provinces across the nation, with the Kalasin, Leoi, and Mukdahan being the most affected ones, have currently been declared drought disaster zones. Over 900,000 rai of farmland have been affected.

The department has been distributing water for consumption and farming to the affected residents. It insists that more water has been prepared and the supply will be sufficient.

It added that the department has contacted the royal rainmaking office to be ready to make artificial rain, if needed. The DDPM said more natural rain is expected this week in the upper northern and lower central regions. People have been advised to brace for for possible heavy rain and flashfloods.

For those seeking information concerning drought assistance, please contact 1784.

-- NNT 2012-05-07

[Lite Beer]

North Thailand warned of heavy rain and flash flooding

BANGKOK: -- The Meteorological Department on Monday has issued a warning for people in northern Thailand to be prepared for heavy rain and flash flooding:

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/553149-alert-north-thailand-warned-of-heavy-rain-and-flash-flooding/#entry5280109

[Lite Beer]

RT@BreakingNews: Euro declines on France and Greece election results @BBCNews http://t.co/S7UjvwY3

[webfact]

Body of 3rd family member recovered after drowning in Nakhon Si Thammarat flash flood

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT, May 7 - The body of a four-year-old boy was found in this southern province after he was carried away and drowned in a flash flood while swimming Sunday with his father and brother at a Tha Sala district waterfall.

The family of four—the parents and their two sons—were visiting relatives Friday. Thirty-five year-old Damrong Kaewpradab and four and six year old sons, Kittikorn and Kittiwin, were swept away and lost in the raging floodwaters. Kittikorn's body was discovered today about 400 metres from where the bodies of his father and brother were found Sunday night. The mother was unharmed.

Meanwhile, in Thailand's northeast, thunderstorms have hit in many provinces, particularly Si Sa Ket and Maha Sarakham.

In Si Sa Ket's Kantaralak district, 10 homes lost their roofs, carried away by strong winds, and 100 rubber trees were destroyed. Local officials inspected the damaged areas and will provide assistance to residents.

In Maha Sarakham province, over 500 homes and a number of university buildings were affected by rainstorms in Kantharawichai, Wapi Pathum, Borabue, Kosum Phisai, and Na Chueak districts. The local disaster response service provided aid to 60 households in Kantharawichai district, and those affected in four other districts are also being helped.

Meanwhile, three days of continued heavy rainfall hit Lampang province in the north, flooding several main roads in the provincial seat and some homes near flooded roadways.

Flash floods emerged from the forest near the local tourist attraction of Doi Phra Bat is located, flooding roads as deep as 40cm, impassable for small vehicles should there be continuous rainfalls. The local municipality is installing pumps to move water to the Wang River.

The Meteorological Department on Monday warned residents in at risk areas of Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Lampang, Phare, Uttraradit, Sukhothai, Tak, Phitsanulok, Kamphang Phet, Phichit and Phetchabun to beware of flooding conditions today and tomorrow.

Southwesterly winds prevail over Thailand and a low pressure cell covers the lower north. Torrential rainfall is expected over western and eastern parts of the country, while the North faces isolated heavy to very heavy rain. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-05-07

[webfact]

RT @mpoppel: FLASH: Vladimir Putin takes presidential oath as Russia's new president

RT @mpoppel: Putin now officially Russia's new president

RT @mpoppel: Russian president Putin: As I take the office I realize the true scope of my responsibility before our homeland.

[webfact]

Cable car for installing adv. banners falls down from BKK's Bai Yok2 Building's 68th Fl due to torn wire rope; 3 men die, 2 wounded /MCOT

[webfact]

Putin sworn in as Russian president

Full story: